Sunday Fun Day!

Sundays are most commonly known for relaxation and refueling to prepare for the hectic week to come. Most families come together, share stories, go to mass or share a meal together. This is where they reconnect to each others lives and mourn the week to come. Not in my family!

Because of my mother and grandmother, we consider Sundays to be the best day of the week! My mother and grandmother get together and prepare a fabulous meal. Aside from the delicious food sitting in our bellies they also make their signature Sunday cocktail, the Cuban Island. My family and I call it the start to Sunday Fun Day!

The cure to Sunday blues:

The Cuban Island Cocktail:

Ingredients:

3/4 oz Vodka

1/4 oz Contreau

3/4 oz White Rum

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Directions:

Shake well over ice cubes in a shaker, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and serve

This drink is very simple to make no matter what kind of bartender you think you may be. Because it is so easy to make it could be used for any major event! Since the moment I could consume alcohol this is the only drink I have. It leaves you without a hangover and is very soft on the stomach. I'm not a fan of drinks that burn like gasoline down the throat. If you are into a drink every once in a while then give this one a shot, or atleast a glass!

I love you, you're perfect... now EAT!

It is a common saying that the way to a mans heart is through his stomach. I've always been taught exactly that and have been raised around recipes that can turn a mans affection from like to love! Any dish made by my grandmother can turn any man but her famous Valentines Day chocolate cake dessert is one that will change your life!

I've made this dish several times and find that it is easy to follow but takes much patience. It has to bake at a precise temperature and must be perfectly moist. The results are worth the wait though so take your time and enjoy every minute of the chocolate scent filling the air in your house.

How to turn a man from LIKE to LOVE:

Creamy Chocolate De Menthe Cake :

Ingredients :

1 18 1/4 ounce package white cake mix
5 tablespoons crème de menthe liqueur
1 16 ounce can chocolate syrup
1 8 ounce container cool whip, thawed

Directions:

Prepare cake mix according to package directions except substitute 3 tablespoons Crème de Menthe for 3 tablespoons of water.

Pour cake batter into 13 x 9 inch pan and bake according to package directions. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray nonstick cooking spray lightly, set aside.

Remove cake pan from oven and while hot poke holes in cake with fork. Turn cake out onto prepared cookie sheet.

Slowly pour chocolate syrup over the top of cake. Refrigerate.

Mix whipped topping with 2 tablespoons of crème de menthe and spread on a cooled cake.

Exhausted? Wake Up!

Life is full of obligations and responsibilities. So much is demanded from us all throughout the day that one of the few satisfying choices to be made is what you will eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One pause to munch on something delicious can bring you seconds of joy during a hectic day.

I remember watching my mother come home from a long work day. She would stumble through the front door as if she just ran a marathon. Exhaustion ran through her body and her eyes could barely stay open. My grandmother would greet her and once again, head to the kitchen where she had been prepping dinner all day. I always noticed a change in gears once my mother would take a bite from my grandmothers Spicy Picadillo! This dish is especially delicious because I have always been a fan of spicy food. I personally prepped this recipe today and found it to be very simple to put together. Aside from its delicious taste, it also gave me an extra kick to my step after I ate it. I went back to work feeling awake and ready to attack the rest of my day!

The cure to exhaustion:

SPICY PICADILLO (GROUND BEEF):

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 tsp. Adobo All-Purpose Seasoning
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely diced green pepper
1 tsp. Minced Garlic or 2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 8 ounces can Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp Red Cooking Wine
1 tbsp Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Pimientos, diced
1/4 cup Pitted Spanish Olives, sliced

Directions:

1. Season the meat with the adobo and set aside

2. In a skillet heat oil on medium. Stir in the chopped onions, diced green pepper and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender and just slightly colored.

3. Stir in the meat, breaking it up as you brown it. When browned, pour off the excess fat.

4. Stir in the oregano and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato sauce, wine, vinegar, water, pimientos and olives

5. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Hot Temper!

My grandmother's recipes are as diverse as can be but her specialty is Cuban, Spanish and American cuisine!


I am the youngest of three girls. I remember sitting in a corner at the age of four and watching my middle sister go into a hysterical rage because she did not want to wear her hair in a ponytail. My grandmother and mother raised us and I always admired and observed their ability to stay cool, calm and collected during a moment of "crisis" such as this. My middle sister spent her life complaining, screaming and overall being obnoxious! Every time her fits would act up, I would see my grandmother walk over to the stove and begin bringing out ingredients.





Here is the cure to a hot temper!






Spanish Frisuelos : A Spanish dessert much like crepes





Ingredients:

• 1 - 3/4 cups of flour



• 4 eggs



• 2 cups plus 1 tbsp milk



• 2 tbsp sugar



• 1 tbsp lemon zest



• olive oil (a few drops for cooking)



• Dulce de leche nutella

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a blender (minus the olive oil and dulce de leche)



2. Heat up frying pan



3. Put 2 drops of olive oil on pan



4. put 2 tbsp of mixed ingredients in center of pan



5. move pan seesaw motion until the frisuelo begins to peel off



6. Flip frisuelo to cook other size.



7. Put frisuelo on plate



8. Put 3 tbsp of dulce de leche and roll frisuelo inward


9. Refrigerate for about an hour if you would like to serve it cold, if not sit back and enjoy it warm right from the stove
   
   

In my opinion, this recipe is simple to follow and easy to swallow! It is absolutely delicious and easy to put together so there is no excuse to not try it out. Watching my grandmother put it together is one thing but once I did it on my own it came out exactly as I remembered it. Try it out, you have nothing to lose and plenty of soulful calories to gain!

Recipes for the Soul

Growing up my grandmother always taught us that food was the way to the heart. Whether it be for a friend, boyfriend, family member, enemy, lover, dog or cat; there was nothing a meal made from scratch could not cure. Her recipes are famous. Not only for their extraordinary taste but for their ability to soothe a troubled soul and sometimes even further encourage a already hopeful one.

I am using this blog as a way to carry on her legacy. Her recipes are considered medicine to those who have tried it and I believe that in a world such as this, everybody needs a little comfort for their soul.